


And it All Comes Together

by CheetahLeopard2



Series: Gifts and also what I'm doing instead of working on my others [33]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Agender Character, I DID THIS IN 3 DAYS, Multi, One Shot, Polyamory Negotiations, be proud, i know i am, long fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 16:23:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11513058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheetahLeopard2/pseuds/CheetahLeopard2
Summary: Tetsurou huffs out some air, squinting through the dappled sunlight, gazing up at shifting green as the breeze ruffled the leaves of the tree that had kept the grass beneath Tetsurou cool.He would enjoy the scene a lot more if nerves weren’t twisting his stomach into knots.Tetsurou sighs, closing his eyes again.He hears more than feels someone plop down next to him, a foot deliberately tap against his own.“Whatcha thinkin’?” Koutarou asks, ignoring the fresh breeze that tickles Tetsurou’s hair across his forehead.“About how gay I am.” Tetsurou sets up. The make or break moment, where Koutarou could be disgusted, in which case Tetsurou probably shouldn’t miss him too much.“Man if I had a dollar for every minutes I spent thinking about how straight I am,” Koutarou begins in a wistful tone, and Tetsurou can feel his heart drop, “I’d be broke af.”





	And it All Comes Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dgalerab](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dgalerab/gifts), [earlgrey_milktea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/gifts), [FairyLights101](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyLights101/gifts), [carxies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carxies/gifts), [Frenchibi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frenchibi/gifts), [Virus138](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virus138/gifts), [plantboycharms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/plantboycharms/gifts), [queenbree17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbree17/gifts), [Mooifyourecows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooifyourecows/gifts).



> Please please please comment!!
> 
> (another thing for those who inspire me and I look up to)

Everything started with summer.

The kind of summer with heat waves flickering about the pavement.

The kind of summer filled with dandelion wishes and cool breezes.

The kind of summer perfect for curling up in window-filtered sunlight in too cold AC with an additional fan running.

And that’s where you’d find Kozume Kenma and Kuroo Tetsurou for most of that summer, at the ages of 12 and 13, the elder laying flat on his back, feet flat on the floor with his knees bent, arms pillowing his head.

The younger you would find curled up beside him, head pillowed by the elders stomach.

Oftentimes their conversations were meaningless.

“What book are you reading?”

“What level are you on?”

“I think you missed a power-up.”

Today wasn’t exactly any different, but it would stick in their minds forever. As a catalyst of sorts to future events.

Tetsurou is the one who breaks their comfortable silence, this time. With a simple question, “What do you think about-” Tetsurou’s voice drops slightly, to just above a whisper, “Kissing?”

Kenma shrugs.

Tetsurou is fluent in Kenma’s shrugs, and from the way his nose crinkles slightly and his right shoulder goes up first Tetsurou can tell that this shrug means, “I don't, really.”

The duo slip back into silence for a bit, before it’s Kenma who breaks it, “Why?”

Tetsurou huffs, “Mom said that you should kiss the ones you love, and that’s why she kisses me and dad.”

Kenma shrugs, and a moment later adds as an afterthought, “Dad never kisses me.”

Tetsurou is silent for a moment, letting that sink in, “Not even on the forehead?”

“No.” Kenma exhales, curling further in on himself before turning off his game and instead throwing one arm almost over his head to drape it across Tetsurou with a groan.

Tetsurou chuckles, “Yeah, it’s too hot to think.”

 

\---

 

The subject comes up again the following summer.

This is the kind of summer with picnics.

This is the kind of summer with Kenma’s dad being home more often.

This is the kind of summer where Kenma is almost always with Tetsurou at the park, because they are “growing boys who have to go outside”.

Tetsurou has brought a volleyball, probably the one he accidentally stole from the school back in their last year of elementary school, that he left 500 yen for in the equipment shed when he’d realized what he’d done.

“A time difference attack!” Tetsurou had excitedly said, showing Kenma a video on youtube, “I think we can do it!”

Of course, with every toss Kenma sent his friend he was proven wrong.

The ball almost always landed on Tetsurou’s head, or on the grass next to him, but never over the net that the neighborhood had pitched in to buy for the little park at the end of their street.

They try and fail, until Kenma wants to go inside badly enough that he tells Tetsurou, “We’ve been at this for hours, we should get food.”

“One more,” Tetsurou pleads, knowing he’s almost at Kenma’s limit, “And then we’ll go inside, promise!”

And so they try one more.

Maybe it’s chance.

Maybe it’s focus.

Maybe it’s fate, because Kenma’s last toss is perfect, and Tetsurou times everything just right, and the ball makes a thwump noise against Tetsurou’s palm when he hits it over the net.

Tetsurou cheers, running up to Kenma and wrapping him in a tight hug even as Kenma, secretly pleased, deadpans, “Can we go home now?”

“Sure,” Tetsurou says, “And that reminds me! I have good news!”

“Better news than food when we skipped lunch?” Kenma smirks at the way Tetsurou’s face falls guiltily before he bounces back.

“Maybe not as good as that.” Tetsurou says, looking away, “But um. Ihaveagirlfriend.” he rushes out.

Kenma holds up a hand to stop Tetsurou’s rambling before it begins, giving himself a moment to sort out what Tetsurou said.

“Good for you.” Kenma settles on, “Why are you nervous?” he asks, because it’s obvious to him in the way Tetsurou centers his weight on his heels.

“Damn, am I that obvious?” Tetsurou seems genuinely distressed.

“Only to me.” Kenma shrugs.

Tetsurou nods as though that was a given anyway, “I think she wants me to kiss her at the end of our next date.”

“So?” Kenma can’t understand why he’d be nervous.

“I don’t know how!” Tetsurou says slowly, as though the horror of it was only now dawning on him.

“Just kiss her, but don’t.” Kenma explains in the way that makes sense to him but not Tetsurou.

Tetsurou, however, just looks confused.

“Like,” Kenma waves his hands around, words not coming, so he decides to demonstrate.

He beckons Tetsurou closer, who catches on, and kisses the elder on the cheek.

“Like that.”

Tetusurou hums as though Kenma had done nothing unusual, “That’ll work. Thanks Kenma!”

 

\---

 

At the end of the school year, the day they got out, Kenma and Tetsurou are walking home together, and Tetsurou gets nostalgic.

“You know,” he points out, stopping in the middle of the path, “This is the last day for the next year and a half that we’ll walk home together.

Kenma stops as well, turning to look at Tetsurou.

Tetsurou squints his eyes to look past the setting sun at Kenma, he gotten taller, shadow reaching further than ever, hair highlighted by the sun’s dying rays, unguarded look on his face.

Tetsurou feels his heart clench in his chest, and wonders why it’s always been doing that whenever he looks at Kenma.

It’s in that moment that he realizes that his feelings, the warmth in his chest whenever Kenma grants him his attention, is far from platonic, and perhaps it never was.

“What?” Kenma asks, and it’s then that Tetsurou realizes he’s been staring. _Fuck it._ Tetsurou thinks, beckoning Kenma closer with a crooked finger.

It’s endearing, the way Tetsurou barely has to bend down to kiss his forehead and bring Kenma into a hug.

Kenma makes a questioning noise, but makes no move to break out of the embrace, “Don’t you have a girlfriend to do this with?” he asks.

“We broke up.” Tetsurou says, and elaborates when he realizes that isn’t a good enough explanation, “We’re going to different high schools.”

It’s only then that Kenma fully relaxes into the hold, burying his face into the blazer that Tetsurou is wearing for the last time.

 

\---

 

The next year is hard.

It’s a year of hesitating at the school gates, as though Tetsurou still walks with him.

It’s a year of looking for a lonely place to eat lunch.

It’s a year of extra homework and having teachers put pressure on him without a study buddy.

It’s a year of just missing Tetsurou, or at least it was for the first few weeks.

One day, Kenma accidentally wakes up an hour and half early.

Laying in his bed, staring a the light slowly creeping in behind his blinds, he makes a decision.

He jumps out of bed and gets ready, not bothering to eat or brush his teeth. He has a toothbrush at the Kuroo’s anyways.

 

The spare key Tetsurou gave him would finally be useful this year, and Kenma says as much to Kuroo-san, who is making breakfast in the kitchen.

“Go ahead and wake him up, and tell him to be fast,” she instructs Kenma, who nods and heads for the stairwell.

Kenma pauses in the doorway, smiling to himself at the way Tetsurou is strewn across the bed, head squished between two pillows.

He looked so peaceful.

Kenma jumps on him.

The non-morning person that Tetsurou is, he only mumbles into the pillows.

Kenma nods, because Tetsurou brought this on himself, “Payback.” he mutters, before going for the neck.

Tetsurou rises with a shriek, trying to hide the only ticklish part of himself.

When Tetsurou sees who it is, he launches himself across the bed, “Kenma!” He exclaims, kissing Kenma’s cheek and pulling him into a hug.

After the kiss at the end of the previous year, little touches like this had become common.

Kenma finds it easier on himself if he doesn't question it.

“Clothes.” Kenma calmly reminds Tetsurou’s chest, “School.”

Tetsurou groans, but releases Kenma and grabs clothes before heading to the bathroom adjacent his room.

Kenma flopps face-down onto Tetsurou’s bed, adjusting himself so that he’s leaching all of the warmth that Tetsurou left when he was asleep, enjoying the contrast of cool and warm sheets and letting the birds chirping outside lull him into closing his eyes.

The next thing Kenma is aware of is a gentle pressure pushing at his shoulder, “Come on kitten, pancakes.”

Kenma yawns, nuzzling further into the blankets before reminding himself that this is indeed, not his room, and forces himself to uncurl.

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Kenma blindly reaches out until Tetsurou grabs his hand to haul him out of bed.

They eat breakfast one handed that day, and Tetsurou’s mom smiles confusedly but doesn’t question it.

When they walk back to Kenmas house Kenma hesitates before walking inside, seeming to come to a decision he goes on tiptoes to kiss Tetsurou’s cheek before he goes inside his house to get ready for his day.

This becomes their new routine.

 

\---

 

That routine becomes their downfall one day, when Kenma’s father sees them holding hands while he gets the newspaper.

Their fate is sealed when Tetsurou squeezes Kenma’s hand and Kenma squeezes back, looking at him with a smile on his lips and reflected in his eyes.

Kenma’s father twists his face into a sneer, and his mutter of, “So you’re one of _them_ , huh boy?”

Kenma freezes in his tracks and Tetsurou looks between father and son with confusion.

Kenma’s father lunges forwards and grabs Kenma’s wrist, dragging him behind him to the house.

Tetsurou is able to read an, “I’m sorry,” off of Kenma’s lips before he’s gone.

Next time, Tetsurou will be sure to hold on tighter.

That night Tetsurou can hear the screaming from the Kozume residence, the final, “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY CHILD EVER AGAIN!” yelled from Kenma’s mother.

And he’ll never forget the way Kenma disappeared for a few days to finally show up at Tetsurou’s house covered in barely healing bruises with a sobbing confession of, “I’m pan.”

He’ll never forget the way Kenma flinched away when Tetsurou reached for him to draw him into a hug.

But most of all, he’ll never forget the way Kenma clung to him after it was clear his father was never coming back.

\---

 

“Kuroo! Has your history grade gone up?” Morisuke means well, Tetsurou knows, but that doesn’t make it any easier to discuss his C.

“Sorry, mom, I’ll try harder,” Tetsurou smirks behind his bow.

Morisuke jabs Tetsurou’s stomach and continues as though Tetsurou isn’t doubled over wheezing about his humanity.

“Well my chemistry grade isn’t doing too well either,” Morisuke mutters to himself.

An upperclassmen, Aomine, turns after hearing their ‘conversation’.

“I could help you two study.” he offers, turning over to the freshmen after he finishes changing, “I’m not the best but I’m pretty decent, and I’m years ahead of you two.”

Tetsurou and Morisuke exchange a glance before shrugging. A truce for grades.

 

Tetsurou gets changed faster than usual when practice ends and calls Kenma, who he knows is out of practice an hour earlier.

“Hey kitten, I’m having some,” he hesitates to call the classmen he barely knows and the libero he barely gets along with friends, “people from the team over after school for a study session, so do you want to come over later than usual?”

“Sure,” Kenma responds, “if they’re still there when I get there I’ll just stay though.”

\---

 

Kenma ends up walking through the door of Tetsurou’s bedroom while the upperclassmen is in the hallway bathroom.

Tetsurou looks tiredly up from his textbook and notes and Morisuke notes the way his eyes light up when he catches sight of the younger.

“Kenma!” Tetsurou calls, opening his arms expectantly.

 Kenma waits until he settled snugly in Tetsurou’s crossed legs with a kiss to his temple by a noticeably happier Tetsurou to acknowledge Morisuke with a nod and a, “Yakkun, right?”

“Just Yaku.” Morisuke corrects gently, not without a glare at Tetsurou, already charmed by this quiet black-haired boy who can reduce their first year middle blocker to a cuddly content purring cat.

“And I’m assuming you’re the ‘Kitten’ Tetsurou keeps calling and texting as soon as practice lets out?”

“Just Kenma is fine.” Kenma says softly, gaze soft but searching. He seems to find what he’s looking for and nods approvingly before pulling out his PSP, and Morisuke and Tetsurou resume their conversation about chemistry.

It’s at this point that the upperclassman walks back into the room, taking a double-take at the position Kenma and Tetsurou are in and freezing, “Are you two dating?”

Tetsurou and Morisuke exchange a glance when Kenma shrugs, one side saying _Does it look like we are?_ And the other replying _You look like you want to be._

Tetsurou sticks his tongue out at Morisuke before responding, “Nah, just best friends.” like the words don’t hurt him.

“That’s good.” the upperclassmen laughs, “‘Cause most of the team is pretty homophobic.”

Everyone noticeably tenses, before Kenma’s piercing gaze locks the upperclassmen in place, “Are you?”

The upperclassmen laughs, “Well, I’m pretty bi myself, so I’d say not.”

They all sigh with relief, but the upperclassmen has something else to say.

“But I do have to act it around the team, or my ass’d be kicked.”

 

\---

 

Tetsurou has to go away for training camp for a week during break instead of spending it with Kenma.

He’s going to miss the other’s comfortable silences, and the snark, and the soft feel of Kenma’s palm against his own, really, he just misses Kenma.

He sighs, pausing in the entryway to gym 3.

Inside, he can see a bunch of first years from… Fukurodani? Practicing, or at least, one of them trying to convince the others to keep practicing, despite the fact that it’s been an hour since the last game for Fukurodani finished.

“I’m up for more.” he says in a split second decision, stepping into the gym.

All attention is drawn to him and he almost regrets his decision for a split-second before, “Oh thank fuck.” the one with grey hair sighs.

“Please take over for us,” the libero sighs.

The remaining two just sigh in relief and hurry out the door, clapping Tetsurou’s shoulders with a resounding, “Good luck.”

The one remaining in the gym, with _awesome hair_ turns to Tetsurou with a resigned look, which quickly morphs into delight, “BRO!” he thunders, “I LOVE YOUR HAIR!”

Tetsurou laughs, “Yours is pretty cool too, dude!”

 

He learns that the others name is Bokuto Koutarou, he’s a great friend, a stellar wing spiker, he misses his middle school setter Akgaashi Keiji, and he’s Tetsurou’s enabler. Or maybe Tetsurou is his enabler, because they both seem to have pretty stupid ideas and then dare the other to do it and them join the other.

The wreak havoc together throughout the rest of the training camp, and throughout that time Tetsurou slowly panics, because building in him is a feeling he only feels around Kenma.

The day training camp ends Tetsurou almost is relieved.

 

\---

 

Only when he gets home does Tetsurou allow the pressure building in him to nearly choke him, rushing through hugging his mom and putting his stuff away.

 Kenma knows Tetsurou was arriving home today, so the moment his mom let him, he rushed next door, hand shaking too much from excitement for his key to fit in the lock the first three tries.

He passes Tetsurou’s mom in the living room, who warns him that Tetsurou is tired, but Kenma can go see how he’s doing.

Kenma pauses with his hand on the doorknob, because the sounds of sobbing from within the room are unmistakable.

He’s not sure what he’s expecting when he opens the door, but what he sees is Tetsurou curled as tight as he can on the bed, shoulders shaking, body wracked with sobs.

Kenma purses his lips, trying to figure out how to handle this.

He settles on walking over to sit on the bed, gently pulling Tetsurou’s head onto his lap and running his hands through Tetsurou’s tangled hair while he talks.

Kenma talks about everything he can think of.

At first it’s a game that he’d recently bought.

Then it’s the stray cat that let him pet her on the street.

Then it’s his mother and how she’s seemed so much happier since his father has gone.

Then it’s how much he missed Tetsurou while he was at camp.

Then it’s how much he hates that the weekend is all that’s left of the week break from school.

He talks until Tetsurou’s sobs stop and the sniffles recede and Tetsurou reaches up to latch a hand on his shirt to signal he’s ready to talk.

“I think.” Tetsurou begins, then falters and begins again, “So I met this guy at training camp. Kenma he’s so fun and nice and he’s so like me and. I think I’m falling in love.”

Kenma hums, knowing Tetsurou isn’t quite done.

“I’m scared.”

Kenma nods, there it is.

“Do you have any problems that I can use to distract myself from mine?” Tetsurou half-jokes in his desperate voice.

“I don’t think I’m a boy,” Kenma says, as though he’s talking about the weather.

Tetsurou hesitates for a moment, “I can work with that,” he rolls off of the bed, “Ow.”

Kenma represses a smile when Tetsurou pops up from the floor, “To the google!”

Kenma follows as Tetsurou opens his laptop and uses google to pull up a list of lgbtqia+ terms and definitions.

They spend about an hour going through each one, before Kenma settles on agender and they/them pronouns. Kenma then pulls up a blog for Tetsurou to look through to help with his gay crisis™.

\---

 

The next training camp, this one during the summer break, Tetsurou is armed with his knowledge of the community and the well wishes of a blogger he had sent an ask.

Tetsurou huffs out some air, squinting through the dappled sunlight, gazing up at shifting green as the breeze ruffled the leaves of the tree that had kept the grass beneath Tetsurou cool.

He would enjoy the scene a lot more if nerves weren’t twisting his stomach into knots.

Tetsurou sighs, closing his eyes again.

 He hears more than feels someone plop down next to him, a foot deliberately tap against his own.

“Whatcha thinkin’?” Koutarou asks, ignoring the fresh breeze that tickles Tetsurou’s hair across his forehead.

“About how gay I am.” Tetsurou sets up. The make or break moment, where Koutarou could be disgusted, in which case Tetsurou probably shouldn’t miss him too much.

“Man if I had a dollar for every minutes I spent thinking about how straight I am,” Koutarou begins in a wistful tone, and Tetsurou can feel his heart drop, “I’d be broke af.”

It takes a moment to set in, before Tetsurou gawfs, “Bro that was a great one!”

“I know bro!”

They sit in a comfortable silence, the faint calls of the last game filling the quiet, Tetsurou letting his eyes slide shut again.

When Tetsurou next opens his eyes, it’s to the feeling of someone watching him, and sure enough, he turns and opens his eyes to get momentarily lost in golden ones.

For a moment Tetsurou feels as though he’s safe, floating in a golden puddle of warmth and love.

The moment is lost when Tetsurou blinks, but Koutarou continues to stare and Tetsurou feels infinitely calmer.

“You’re staring bro,” Tetsurou chuckles, a touch nervously.

“Yeah bro your pretty hot.” Koutarou grins but there’s an edge of nervousness there as well.

“Bro that’s gay.” Tetsurou points out, shifting to lay on his side and then deciding that his back is more comfortable.

“So am I dude.” Koutarou says, and then adds with a slightly softer voice, “for you.”

Tetsurou takes a moment to digest this, studying the way Koutarou fidgets beside him, not tearing his gaze away.

“Dude-Kou,” Tetsurou tries out, liking the way the nickname ballooned in the back of his throat before bursting forward like a balloon of happiness, “You were like, the cause of my gay crisis.”

Koutarou laughs with relief at that, laying down fully.

“But, Tetsurou-man that’s a long name. And Tetsu’s a girl’s name.” Koutarou seems lost in thought for a moment, “Fuck it. You okay with Tetsu?”

“Yeah Kou, doesn’t really matter to me if it’s a girls name if it’s my name, ya know?”

“Does this mean we can hold hands and stuff?” Koutarou approaches.

“Yeah but,” Tetsurou pause in realization, “Are you still cool with me ranting about Kenma and you know we also-”

Koutarou shrugs, “If you’re good with me still ranting about Akgaashi.”

“‘Course Kou. Hey do you want to come to my house for a few days after camp? Meet Kenma and my mom?”

“Sure Tetsu.”

 

\---

 

When he calls his mom, she agrees to hosting Koutarou for a few days, and tells Kenma, who’s apparently in the kitchen with her, that “Tetsurou’s boyfriend will be coming over!”

Kenma demands to speak to Tetsurou, of course, and his first words, a bit crackly over the phone and the noise of the train, are, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it only became official an hour ago Kitten.”

Kenma hums, “Hand the phone to him?”

“Koutarou. Hey, Bokuto.” Tetsurou subtly drops Koutarou’s name when he shakes the boy, who’s asleep on his shoulder, awake.

“Talk to Kenma?”

“Oh!’ Koutarou’s dreariness and blurry eyes quickly disappear, “Of course!”

He accepts the phone with the hand that isn’t holding Tetsurou’s, “Hey hey hEY Kenma! I’ve heard a lot about you!”

Tetsurou can only hear Koutarou’s replies of “Of course!!” and “Cool! I’d love to hear some stories!” at which point Tetsurou says loud enough to be heard across the line, “Don’t tell him anything Kenma!” After which Koutarou relays a, “Now I’m obligated to tell him everything.”

Tetsurou finally gets the phone back and smiles at Kenma’s, “You picked a good one, Kuro.”

 

\---

 

Tetsurou and Koutarou talk all the walk home, Tetsurou explaining some of Kenma’s mannerisms and Koutarou asking questions.

They finally stop in front of a house in the suburbs, “This is it.” It’s only as Tetsurou says those words does he realize what he’s gotten himself into. He’s coming out to his mom, introducing a boyfriend to her, and introducing his boyfriend to his best friend in the same sweep.

A glance behind him reveals Koutarou looking around with an awed expression, and Tetsurou hopes the realization doesn’t set in for him for a long time.

 The door swings open, revealing that Kenma is the one to answer.

“Kenma!” Tetsurou lunges forward to envelope the other is a hug with a welcome home kiss to the cheek.

“Don’t you have a boyfriend to do that with now?” huffs Kenma.

“I don’t mind it!” Koutarou pips up from behind Tetsurou.

“Unless you aren’t, Kitten.” Tetsurou quips, and Kenma turns their head away, a slight blush rising on his cheeks.

Tetsurou laughs, ruffling Kenma’s hair before he steps aside, “This is Kou!”

 Koutarou bounds forward, hand extended, “Hello Kenma!”

Kenma takes a moment, as though considering his next move, before bypassing the extended hand and pressing forward to wrap Koutarou in a hug with a whisper of, “Take care of him.”

Koutarou takes a second to process what Kenma had done, as out of character as it was, before encircling Kenma in his arms, “I will.”

Tetsurou comes out and wriggles under one of Koutarou’s arms to join the hug, “Hug party!”

Koutarou laughs and Kenma sighs, but at the end of the night they all end up curled together on Tetsurou’s bed, passed out except for Kenma, who is comfortable in Tetsurou’s arms with Koutarou’s legs tangled around his own, playing some game or another.

\---

 

Kenma’s heavy sigh when a boss defeats them must wake Tetsurou, because the arms encircling them tighten a bit and a question comes, “How’re you so comfortable with Kou so quickly?”

Kenma pauses their game and turns towards Tetsurou as much as they can, “He’s kind, and unguarded, and he’s proven this evening that he can be quiet if I need it, he makes you happy, and,” Kenma pauses, twisting up a bit to kiss Tetsurou’s jaw, “he reminds me of you, when you’re not quiet and when you’re having fun.”

“I have fun when I’m quiet,” Tetsurou protests, but the effect is dampened by the pleased squeeze he gives Kenma.

 

\---

 

The feeling of Koutarou’s hand running through their hair and the sound of soft humming rouses Kenma in the morning after they had finally gotten to sleep after finally bebeating their game.

And Kenma feels at home.

Tetsurou leans up against the doorframe with a pleased smirk, and Kenma rolls their eyes at him before sliding them shut again, completely willing to go back to sleep if not for the smell of pancakes wafting from the tray in Tetsurou’s hand.

With a sigh, they sit up, mentally preparing for the next few days.

 

\---

 

Luckily the most strenuous thing the boys want to do is play volleyball, and Kenma willingly follows, curious about Koutarou’s skill level after Tetsurou had come back from the last training camp singing Koutarou’s praise.

“Kenma!” Tetsurou calls, “let’s show Kou the _move_.” Tetsurou wiggles his eyebrows as he says this, and Kenma uses an eye roll to suppress their urge to smile.

It’s just a their personal time difference attack, but Koutarou is immediately enamored.

“Kenma! Do you think we could do that!?” Koutarou turns to Kenma with stars in his eyes.

“Nah Kou, that’s something Kenma and I practiced for _years_ to perfect-”

Tetsurou is cut off by Kenmas, “Sure, but we’d need to practice.”

 “Kenmaaaa.” Tetsurou whines in unison with Koutarou’s delighted yell, and Kenma can’t help but laugh.

Kenma’s laugh is a beautiful thing. Because they hardly ever do it, they don’t know how to hold it back. So Kenma’s laugh is a sound of pure, unbridled joy with many snorts and gasps for air.

It’s the cutest thing Koutarou has ever seen, and he whispers as much into Tetsurou’s ear that night as they’re huddled together for bed, Kenma already out like a light.

The next three days just brings them closer, and then Koutarou has to go home.

\---

The next school year brings Kenma to the team, and Koutarou’s “Akgaashi” to his school. It also is the year Morisuke and Tetsurou get closer.

 

Tetsurou and Kenma know better than to hold hands or anything while the other upperclassmen are watching, and the third year who was bi had left for college.

They, however, did not think to warn Koutarou.

The next training camp, Kenma’s first, Koutarou comes barrelling up to them, picking both of them up and twirling them in a huge hug.

“Careful around him!” yells one of the passing upperclassmen, “You might catch his homo!”

“Hey!” Morisuke barks at the same time Koutarou foolishly, innocently says, “I thought you already had?”

Time seems to slow down as the upperclassmen stare at Koutarou and Morisuke runs to stand with them.

Kenma’s breathing becomes erratic as the upperclassmen begin hurling abuse, Morisuke shouts back, and Koutarou’s eyes grow large and watery when he realizes what he’s done.

Tetsurou grabs Kenma’s wrist and turns around, whispering words of comfort to him as Kenma grabs Koutarou’s hand in a death hold.

Then their savior arrives, tapping one of the upperclassmen and calmly standing beside a teacher.

 

The three upperclassmen get in trouble for harassing second years and a first year, and Morisuke only gets out of trouble because he’s helping defend Kenma, who’s had a full-blown panic attack on the floor, after being reminded of his father.

\---

 

“Agkaashi!” Koutarou throws his arm around the first year’s shoulder, “This is my boyfriend! And that’s Kenma!”

Keiji nods, “Nice to meet the both of you. Although,” he pauses, regret in his eyes, “It would be much prefered that we had met under better conditions.”

Kenma flinches and Koutarou looks away.

Tetsurou sighs, running a hand through his hair, “Well, we were gonna be found out sooner or later.”

Keiji hums, and for a moment there is silence.

“I’m sorry about your upperclassmen-” Koutarou begins.

“There’s no way you could’ve know, Kou.” Kenma points out, “It’s fine.”

Koutarou shrugs, and his mood is somber for a moment before Keiji speaks up, “If you want to practice until everyone’s settled in, gym 3 is open.”

Even Kenma perks up at the thought of playing, and they’re all quick to agree.

“I’ll go put our stuff in the rooms,” Tetsurou says, and they head off.

 

Keiji is a setter, and a pretty damn good one, Kenma and Tetsurou would learn when they stand across the net from him.

Keiji, if he heard them say so, would say that there are better, but he’s just as skilled as Kenma, and it’s clear that he and Koutarou are used to each other.

Whenever Koutarou starts to get down, something that Tetsurou had barely seen and that startled Kenma, Keiji handled it amazingly, allowing Koutarou enough controlled room to pick himself up, and Keiji himself was very capable, sending very controlled tosses and desguising his dumps well.

Not to mention his quiet beauty, but Kenma and Tetsurou were already expecting it and quickly looked past it to the snarky, quiet and capable Keiji Akaashi that they knew and became fast friends with.

The first time they caught sight of Keiji’s smirk Kenma flushed bright red and Tetsurou stared slack jawed, but that’s a story for another time.

The next four days finds the four practically inseparable after the games end for the day.

Although, the upperclassmen on Nekoma are pretty unforgiving. Tetsurou doesn’t get tossed to and Kenma, who isn’t even playing, often gets shouldered by the upperclassmen as they take their punishment laps and receives.

The first few times it happened after it was clear that the upperclassmen were being deliberate, Koutarou had to be held back by Keiji’s reminder that he’d get in trouble.

 

\---

 

The Nekoma third years, thank goodness, retire after the spring high, so the next training camp is much better.

Tetsurou pushes as hard as the third years, to what he knows the team can handle.

But unlike the third years had, Tetsurou often offers encouragement, praise, and advice.

It takes a while for the team to break the habit of flinching whenever someone makes a mistake, or expecting glares instead of an encouraging, “We’re improving, we’ll do better next time.”

Kenma is starting setter this year (“Kenma!” Tetsurou had beckoned them over during practice to where he and Nekomata are talking, slinging an arm over their shoulder as soon as they got close enough, “You’re going to be starting setter!”

“I’m the only setter you duffus, get off,” Kenma had rolled their eyes and Nekomata chuckled, “You have great game sense, Kozume-kun, it’ll be very fitting in the team I’m trying to build.”

“I’ll do my best.” Kenma promises, worming his way out from under Tetsurou, who slowly increases the amount of weight the setter supports.), and he is improving the team’s timing.

Keiji is also starting setter this year (“Probably all the extra hours I spent practicing with this hulking owl,” Keiji had explained with a shrug after he side steps Tetsurou’s congratulatory shriek and hug.), and Fukuro-Neko games had an increasing friendly tension.

Kenma and Keiji are not in the least unaffected by this tension, and smacktalk each other with passive aggressive comments.

At the first “Maybe if the setter could pull off a dump from a back toss form we’d have a harder time of beating them,” Tetsurou choked before doubling over laughing to the point that he’s on his knees, and Koutarou made many confused owl noises, completely missing his serve before running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

They still aren’t used to it.

 

\---

 

The last day, the moment the last Fukuro-Neko match is dismissed, the four wordlessly gravitate towards each other, changing out of their gym shoes and heading towards the tree they usually sat under, Kenma slouched over, Keiji with his hands behind his back, Tetsurou stretching his arms in front of him, fingers laced, and Koutarou stretching his arms up and behind him.

“Maaaaaan,” Koutarou groans, “That game was harrdddd.” Indeed, it had lasted into the late forties, with Fukurodani pulling out the victor eventually.

Shinzen and Ubugawa’s game was somehow still stretching on, so they unanimously decided to wait until the game ended to head to gym 3.

Kenma huffs in agreement and flops down on the grass with no ceremony arms crossed over his knees and head buried in them, which Tetsurou gives a tired chuckle at and sits next to him, cross legged, opening his arms.

Koutarou immediately brightens, flopping down in Tetsurou’s lap and leaning back into his chest when Tetsurou tiredly hums in appreciation and wraps his arms around the owl, smooshing his cheek against the muscular back.

Keiji sighs and lays down on Kenma’s other side.

“I think we won the same number of matches this time,” Keiji says amiably.

Of course the new captains have to make it into banter, “What?,” Tetsurou says, brows furrowed,  “No. Nekoma definitely won more.”

“What?” Koutarou twists in Tetsurou’s arms, almost banging their noses together, “Fukurodani definitely won more!”

Kenma sighs and mumbles something into their arms as they begin.

“Hey Keiji.” Kenma twists his head to the side so he’s looking into Keiji’s eyes.

“Yes Kenma?”

Ignoring Koutarou’s cry of, “Why does _he_ get no honorific!”, Kenma continues, “Are you coming to mine and Kuro’s for the rest of break?”

Tetsurou and Koutarou pause in their bickering to hear Keiji’s answer.

“I don’t-”

He pause to see the faces of three pouters bright in anticipation, and Keiji sighs, “I’ll check with my mom.”

“Yeah!” cheer Koutarou and Tetsurou in unison, high fiving.

 

\---

 

Keiji’s mom ends up saying yes, and they have to take crossing over trains to get to their house.

They find that the cars are almost empty and are able to grab one of those sets of seats that face each other.

Keiji pulls out a pack of cards and Kenma sits with one leg crossed underneath them, turned towards Keiji and Keiji mirrors their position as he deals for a game of rummy.

Koutarou leans his head against Tetsurou’s arm before Tetsurou lifts his arm to wrap around the owl leaning his head against his shoulder as the train tries to jostle them around.

Eventually Koutarou falls asleep on Tetsurou as Tetsurou oversees Keiji and Kenma’s 4th round of rummy.

A couple stops before they have their transfer, Tetsurou reaches his other hand over to shake Koutarou awake, and Koutarou yawns, wrapping his arms more around Tetsurou and grumbling before rubbing his face further into Tetsurou’s shirt.

“Come on owl, you’re too heavy for me to piggyback,” Tetsurou nudges Koutarou again.

Koutarou groans and pulls one hand from Testurou to rub his eyes, “Wassit?”

Tetsurou and Keiji exchange a look of fond amusement as Kenma calmly reports to him, “We missed our stop while you slept.”

“What!” Koutarou shoots upright, almost headbutting Tetsurou in the jaw as Tetsurou cackles and Kenma smirks, Keiji calmly saying, “We did not.” with a smile twitching at his mouth.

 

They shuffle out of the train with a shared yawn and Kenma and Keiji lean on the wall while Tetsurou is stubborn and stands for the 15 minute wait, even as Koutarou drapes himself over Tetsurou’s back, chin hooked over his shoulder.

Kenma eventually slides down the wall to sit on the ground with their back against it, legs sprawled out in front of them when they set their bag on their lap and pull out their psp.

Keiji just lets the cool pavement behind his head and back and the time and his exhaustion lull them into a half asleep state, where time passes quickly behind his closed eyes and the cool night breeze is all he can feel, all sounds faded into the distance. His own liminal space.

Around the ten minute mark, though, another train goes through the station, bringing Keiji out of their zone as though blood were slowly filtering back into his veins.

He knows he won’t be able to let the time pass like that again for a while, so Keiji slides down the wall into a crouch beside Kenma, watching as he navigates a cutscene to a battle, offering occasional advice until their train pulls up and Kenma quickly powers down and stuffs the game back into their duffle, stumbling a bit as they stand and Keiji reflexively stabilizes them by their elbow. He notes the small blush that rises to Kenma’s cheeks and chalks it up to embarrassment.

 

They board the train to find it pretty empty as well, and find the same set up of seats.

 This time, Kenma sits against the wall across from Keiji and Tetsurou and Koutarou slide in behind them.

 Kenma lets the gentle rumbling of the train lull them to sleep, sumping against Tetsurou’s back, who has turned to his right to talk to Kou just enough for there to be room between his back and the back of the seat.

Tetsurou looks at Koutarou in awe and Koutarou whispers back an excited, “It’s like when your cat chooses to sit in your lap!”

Tetsurou slowly shifts so that he and Kenma are in the same position he and Koutarou were in on the last train ride, and when Kenma only murmurs a bit in his sleep Tetsurou smiles and kisses them on the head, rubbing Kenma’s back affectionately.

 

This startles Keiji awake, peering confusedly between Koutarou, who is cooing at the soft scene in front of them, and Tetsurou, who has turned to Koutarou with a dopey smile on his face, their fingers laced together and resting on their knees.

“What?” He blurts, “Aren’t you and Bokuto-san dating?”

Koutarou and Tetsurou exchange a  confused look, “Yeah?”

“Then why?” Keiji gestures helplessly at Kenma and Koutarou’s shoulders start shaking with silent laughter and Tetsurou’s mouth falls open in a silent “Oh.”

“Okay so,” Koutarou begins, “Tetsu has a huge-ass crush on Kenma.”

Tetsurou makes a soft sound of protest, checking again that Kenma’s asleep.

This, of course does not help Keiji’s understanding in the least, and Koutarou looks like he’s about to have an aneurism and is incapable of finishing his train of thought.

Tetsurou sighs and shakes his head, “He’s not wrong. And Kenma and I are just used to more intimate gestures when it comes to each other.”

Tetsurou notices he shocked look on Keiji’s face and quickly rewords his statement, “We’ve never kissed on the mouth or gone further than that, but we’ll often hold hands and stuff like that.”

“Okay,” Keiji nods, feeling a bit dizzy from this new information, and he turns to Koutarou, “And you’re fine with this?”

Koutarou nods, “Yeah, I mean, Tetsurou and I have talked about it, and I like Kenma too, and have been developing a crush on them too, so it’d be a bit hypocritical if I weren’t fine with it. But Kenma doesn’t know either of us like him.”

“Oh. Okay.” Keiji sits rimrod straight, before leaning against the side of the train.

“Sorry,” Tetsurou says, “This must be a lot to process. It’s normal for us, so we kind of forgot you didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” Keiji says, “I love him too, so I understand. I’m just a bit too tired to process right now.”

Koutarou and Tetsurou exchange a glance that seems to last way longer than it should, and Keiji realizes what he let slip, before Koutarou speaks up, “You can sleep, we’ll wake you and Kenma up when we get there.”

“Thanks,” Keiji says, eyes already sliding shut.

 

He’s awoken by Koutarou standing up next to him, the loss of warmth shocking him into consciousness.

“Hey sleeping beauty,” Tetsurou says softly, “time to get off the train.”

Keiji nods, standing up to stretch and deciding he’s too groggy to deal with the way both Tetsurou and Koutarou’s gazes seem to be drawn to the way his shirt pulls slightly up.

Across from him, Kenma appears to still be out and Tetsurou shrugs, “I’ll piggyback them, they’re pretty light and home isn’t too far away.”

“I’ll take the bags,” Koutarou offers, and Keiji has to stop is internal screaming how strong two of his crushes are.

On the walk home, Kenma lifts his head blearily to the setting sun before making a sound between a whine and a groan and burying his head between Tetsurou’s shoulder blades.

The other three stop at the sound and burst out laughing for a moment, “That’s one way,” Koutarou gasps out, “To tell who’s a morning person.”

“It’s not even morning,” Kenma’s muffled voice comes, affronted, as though the fact personally offended them.

The rest laugh again, before Koutarou bounds to a stop in front of Tetsurou’s home, “This is it!” he parrots Tetsurou’s words to him.

Kenma taps Tetsurou’s shoulder to let him know they want to be let down, and when their feet are comfortably on the ground they turn to Keiji, “We can sleep at my house.”

Kenma quells Tetsurou and Koutarou’s immediate protest with the logic that a) Tetsurou’s parents wouldn’t want to host 3 extra teenagers for 3 days. And b) there’s not enough sleeping space at Tetsurou’s house for the four of them.

 

\---

 

Kenma’s room was just what Keiji had come to expect, calm and quiet, faded into the background, but with a certain draw and spark to it.

Keiji bows to Kenma’s mom explaining who he is, since Kenma hadn’t done much more than ask if “A friend from volleyball could stay over.”

Kenma’s mom, who is just glad Kenma seems to be picking up good friends, welcomes Keiji with open arms.

Literally.

She envelopes Keiji in a warm hug smelling of cookies and raspberries as soon as he stands from his bow, “It’s so nice to meet you, dear!”

Keiji’s features soften into a smile, “It’s nice to meet you too.”

Kozume-san turns to look behind Keiji at Kenma, “Good! Especially since Kenma never brings over any friends except Kuroo-kun-”

“Mom stop embarrassing me please.” Kenma requests softly, and when Keiji turns, still smiling, to look at them they have a pretty blush riding high on their cheeks.

Kozume-san laughs and ushers them out of the entryway, “You can head right up to Kenma’s room, I’m sure you’re tired from the week of volleyball.”

Keiji almost tells her that they had slept on the train, but thinks better of it when Kenma loosely grabs his wrist and guides him up the stairs.

The majority of Kenma’s room is taken up by shelves along the edges, neatly filled with books, board games, movies, and video games.

There’s a coffee table-like cabinet at the foot of the queen sized bed with an old TV sitting atop a VCR machine.

Kenma notices Keiji looking at it and explains, “Mom let me have it when she got a modern one downstairs. Want to watch something?”

“Sure,” Keiji agrees, following Kenma over to a shelf that seems to predominantly be tapes.

They end up watching ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, sitting with their legs sprawled out in front of them on Kenma’s bed, close enough for their shoulders to brush with every breath.

Kenma seems to get sleepy again halfway through, or maybe he’s just bored, but either way, they lean against Keiji, moving their shoulder back so their side is leaning against Keiji’s arm and their head is atop his shoulder.

Also, Kenma’s filter completely leaves them and they decide, _Fuck it._ And begin speaking.

“You know, Keiji.” They start.

Keiji hums in response.

“You’re super smart. And you’re really easy to be around. I like that-I like _you_ \- a lot.” Kenma looks up at Keiji and then back at the TV screen.

Keiji hesitates because, _Um. What?_ Before processing and lacing his fingers with Kenma’s on the bed spread.

“Kenma.” Keiji says, voice softest that Kenma has ever heard it, bordering a croon.

Kenma doesn’t look away from the movie, understanding what they had said.

“Kenma.” Keiji says more insistently, before Kenma’s head is turned by a gentle hand on their cheek and Keiji’s lips are pressed against their own.

And in that moment, Kenma’s world settles, but they feel a sharp pang for what they could lose. Tetsurou and Koutarou.

They decide not to pay attention to that now, though. The hazy promise of sleep is combated by the sparks that are generated with every moment Keiji’s lips are pressed against their own. It’s as though they’re on the edge, waiting for love to sweep them off their feet.

All their thoughts and any inclination towards sleep is lost when Keiji swipes his tongue across their bottom lip.

And they fall.

 

“You know,” Keiji says when they part and Kenma buries their face in his chest, “Tetsurou and Koutarou like you too.”

Kenma mumbles something into his chest and Keiji brings an arm around them, “You’re gonna have to speak up, love.”

Kenma groans into Keiji’s chest but lifts their head, “They love you, too.”

Keiji looks at the ceiling, taking this information in, “We should really talk to them.”

Kenma nods, “Tomorrow.”

They fall asleep tangled together.

 

\---

 

They wake up to a bright flash of light and Tetsurou cursing at Kou to “Turn off the flash!”

Keiji doesn’t bother to open him eyes, just nuzzled further into the stringy soft silky thing in front of his face, too warm and comfortable to be bothered.

And then the thing in his arms shifts, curling further into him, and he remembers how Kenma and he got to sleep last night. And more importantly what transpired before that.

He sits up, whispering in Kenma’s ear, “time to get up, love.”

Kenma sits up beside him, and they exchange a glance before they cross their arms.

“You two have a lot of explaining to do.” Keiji calmly states, giving them a chance to confess.

“About what?” Tetsurou says just as calmly while Koutarou squawks.

“About how all four of us like each other but no one has the balls to say it,” levels Kenma.

“We-Well-” Koutarou stutters.

“I mean, if that’s what’s going on here.” Tetsurou easily shrugs.

“It is.” Kenma confirms with a bob of their head.

“Okay then.” Tetsurou leans onto the bed, resting his weight on his forearms, loosely caging Kenma to the bed, before leaning down and capturing their lips with his own. It’s a simple peck, but when Tetsurou pulls away a split second later Kenma looks _broken,_ “Been wanting to do that for a long time.” Tetsurou says, sporting one of the most irritating smirks Keiji has ever had the misfortune of seeing, and he wants to kiss that look right off those smug lips. So he does.

Kenma reaches over and pulls Koutarou, who’s standing shell shocked, until he’s leaning over the bed as well and gives him a full-on hug.

Koutarou buries his face in Kenma’s shoulder and Kenma pats his shaking back.

“Are you?” Keiji peers closer at Koutarou’s shaking figure, “Is he crying?”

“He is.” Kenma confirms, monotone, “My shirt is very wet.” and then to Koutarou, “You’re very lucky I love you.”

“I _am_!” Koutarou’s cry is slightly muffled, as he doesn’t look up from Kenma’s shoulder, and the rest of them laugh a bit, Tetsurou also dissolving into tears.

“What a wonderful get-together story.” Keiji musses, and the laughter starts up again.

  


**Author's Note:**

> My tumblrs are avien-writes and cheetahleopard, although I'm also part of @thewritersquad


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